COVID-19 and Infectious/ Contagious disease

COVID-19 and Infectious/ Contagious disease:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

The International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will wear a uniform and if required by Public Health Ontario (PHO) will wear a procedural mask during the visit. The client can also request that the IBCLC wear a procedural mask during the visit. The recommendations for PPE are based on PHO and might be subject to change depending on the measures required by the government. Before and after each visit, the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will wash her hands with soap and water or an antimicrobial hand sanitizer.

When examining the dyad, the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will wash her hands with soap and water or an antimicrobial hand sanitizer before and after each assessment. The IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will wear latex-free gloves when making physical assessments of the dyad like breast assessment, physical newborn assessment, weighing of the baby, and visual and physical assessment of the baby’s mouth. The gloves will be removed when the assessment is done. If PPE is required for the visit, it will be removed at the end of the meeting when the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS leaves and respects a distance of 2 meters/ 6 Feet.

If required by PHO, the client will wear a facial mask during the visit. If the client doesn’t have a facial mask, one can be bought by the client at a fee of 2$ and will be applied to the client on his billing. If PPE is required by PHO and the client refuses to wear an adequate PPE (facial mask), the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS reserves the right to refuse to make an at-home visit and can refuse to provide services to the client in-person. A virtual option might be suggested but that doesn’t replace a home visit assessment.

Exposure policy:

The client or a member of their household will have to report to the CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS an exposure to any infection/ contagious disease contracted before or after the in-person contact as it is required by Ontario Public Health. You can see an extensive list here: Infectious Diseases Protocol - Ontario Public Health Standards - Programs and Services - Health Care Professionals - MOH

The IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will report exposure to any infection/ contagious disease contracted before or after the in-person contact as it is required by Ontario Public Health. This applies to member of the household of the IBCLC.

Both parties, the client and the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will engage themselves in reporting exposures to infectious/ contagious disease by the preferred way of communicating either a phone call, email, or text, to either parties.

Illness Policy:

The client and the IBCL at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS engage themself to take a self-assessment for COVID-19 and report any symptoms that would require cancellation of the visit. The self-assessment can be done here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) self-assessment (ontario.ca)

List of symptoms that would require rescheduling or be offered a virtual option:

-Fever or chills

-Shortness of breath

-Nausea and/or vomiting

-Diarrhea

-Fatigue (more than usual)

-Muscle aches and headache

-Congestion, coughing, or sneezing (not related to chronic conditions such as seasonal allergies)

-Skin rashes (not related to a chronic condition such as eczema or psoriasis)

The IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS can cancel the appointment without any notice if infectious/ contagious symptoms appear. The client will be required to notify the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS of any symptoms as soon as possible. If the client fails to notify the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS of the symptoms prior to the appointment, the IBCLC can refuse to provide in-person visit and services. The client has the option to reschedule or may be offered a virtual meeting using a Zoom platform with Practice Better or Google meet.

To be able to reschedule, the client and IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS must be free of symptoms for at least 48 hours and not have family members that are exhibiting symptoms or in quarantine related to infectious/ contagious disease.

If the client doesn’t cancel his appointment but is presenting with the listed symptoms at the time of the in-person appointment, the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS will cancel the appointment and will leave the premises. The same conditions will apply if a member of the client's household has symptoms or is quarantined: having the appointment being canceled.

Please notify us of any cancellations related to illness within 24 hours before the appointment.

Notification Policy:

If the IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS receives a diagnosis of an infectious disease or virus after an in-person contact, the client will be notified within 48 hours after the in-person visit either by text, email, or secure messaging.

The conditions under which CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS is requesting to be notified by our client:

You (or someone in your household) have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.

You (or someone in your household) are waiting for your COVID-19 test results.

You (or someone in your household) have any of the following symptoms:

-fever

-cough

-shortness of breath

-nasal congestion

-sore throat

-difficulty swallowing

-nausea/vomiting

-diarrhea

-unexplained malaise

-new loss of smell & taste.

You (or someone in your household) have developed a new rash that is not related to chronic conditions like eczema or psoriasis.

You (or someone in your household) has traveled outside of Canada within the last 14 days.

Any diagnosis in your household of contagious disease like if they are suffering from an infectious disease (chickenpox, rubella, measles) or if they have the following symptoms:

-diarrhea;

-fever;

-vomiting;

-cough;

-sore throat;

-conjunctivitis, etc.

Prevention policy:

The IBCLC at CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS vaccination is up to date and she has received three doses of COVID-19 vaccination as required by Health Canada. If you made the choice to not vaccinate your household, you can still receive care and will not be penalized for your choices. You understand that CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS does not assume any responsibility if symptoms present following an appointment.

CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS is taking every measure advised by the government to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and any other infectious and contagious disease, including the use of PPE (if required by PHO) and virucidal disinfectants before and after every appointment. However, this does not eliminate the risk of exposure. You understand that CREATING GREAT BEGINNINGS does not assume any responsibility if symptoms present following an appointment.